>> Monday, August 7, 2017

By Pigeon Lobien

BAGUIO CITY - Thirty three beauty queen wannabes, from a 5’1” vertically
challenged” to a 5’8” giantess, turned in for the Ms. Baguio final screening on
stormy afternoons last July 27 and 28 at the Baguio City Hall administrator’s
office.

Despite the rains brought in by typhoon Gorio and the monsoon
it dragged in, the 33 hopefuls came in the hope to unleash their talent, beauty
and talent come Sept. 18 during the coronation night.

From a senior high, a college student to a new teacher,
candidates came in their best gowns braving the cold on a wet Thursday and
Friday afternoons where they also had to contend with the noise that the rain
made when it hit the building’s roof above.

“I might be a little small, but I will make it up for my
wit and intellect,” said the 5’1” Jenny Mae Ambeguia, a new teacher who was
immediately asked why she be allowed to be interviewed when she knew from the
start that the minimum height is 5’4”.

But she proved to be a bubbly and intelligent interviewee
like Tyrion Lannister in the much watched television series Game of Thrones
that saw her top the interview portion (30 percent of the score) in most of the
five judges card.

However, Ambeguia quit Monday even before the Ms Baguio
activities started.

Despite the note on most of the interviewers score sheet,
Ambeguia landed among the top scorers for the 20 hopefuls on Friday that
included two half foreigners: Fil-Brit Karla Jane O’hara and Isabel Lamberth,
whose biological father is Australian.

The two candidates scored relatively high in most of the
score sheets. O’hara is a disc jockey at K-Lite, while Lamberth is a 17
year old actress to be, who two-months ago underwent an open heart surgery to
fix a 2-centimeter hole at the left backside of her heart.

“I was given a clean bill of health by my doctor who said
that my heart can take the rigors of the pageant,” said the senior high who
thanked her grand uncle national artist Ben Cabrera for practically financing
her medical procedure at the Philippine Heart Center.

Among the early favorites include 2016 Ms. HRAB Karen
Marie Mabalo and Bohol born Anabela Zarisa Gaviola, an architecture draftswoman
who is one of the most vocal. “I just wish to win the pageant and earn my
architecture license in two years time,” said the 23-year old, who will then
finish her required two-year internship with a local architecture firm.

“We are quite happy with the turn out, we were able to
get this many despite the strong rain and wind,” said Sonny Ticwala of the
Sonny T. Productions which organizes the event for a third straight time.

Ticwala looks forward to 48-days of activities with the
candidates including a feeding program, a city tour and the talent, gown and
swimsuit competition prior the coronation night on Sept. 18 at the Baguio
Convention Center.

Most of the 20 hopefuls Friday say that they live with
their mother only, some of them not even their father. PML